Monday, 30 April 2012

Well after a fantastic weekend of blogging, shopping, watching many, many youtube vids, joining (and loving) pinterest and generally not studying, it's time to get back to my books because exams are looming! So I've prewritten this post on Sunday's nails.

MissTique nail polish is available as part of the Summer Splash Polish Set on MissGuidedherefor £10 but I got mine in a magazine a while ago.

Colour-This is a gorgeous blue/teal. It's really attention grabbing and out there. I put it on because today has been really dreary weather so I thought it would add a bit of cheer and remind me that summer is on its way (hopefully!)

Consistency- I usually like nail polishes with a thicker consistency but I actually get along really well with this as its midway- not watery but not clumpy. Two coats gives my nails complete cover.

Brush- The brush is round which again, I'm not usually fond of but because it's quite thin its great and picks up just the right amount of polish.

Durability-This lasts a good few days with no chips with no top coat which I think is pretty good.

Rating- 8/10 (Those 2 are dropped simply because it wouldn't go with every outfit eg. a peach chiffon blouse).

Sunday, 29 April 2012

So, as you might know, I can become quite overly obsessed with things (hence the name Julz' Obsessions). I thought I would share with you the bloggers and youtubers that I absolutely love and tell you how I found them in the hope that you'll find a couple that you've not heard of before. These are blogs and channels that I cannot go a day without checking. I'll do it in order of which I found first as funnily enough many of them link to each other!

LaurenConrad.comNot only is this a blog, but its a fully functioning social networking site. I love Lauren Conrad, she is so pretty and her style is amazing. This was the first blog I became interested in, I think that was just over a year ago.

TheBeautyDepartment.comThis site is run by Lauren Conrad, her hair stylist and her make up artist. Honestly, if you've never visited- do so immediately! The tutorials are amazing :)

ShesASecretShopper.comDuring The X Factor last year I fell in love with Caroline Flack's style and I searched the internet desperately to discover where she got her clothes. Then I discovered this little site. It is amazing for finding out where all different celebrities buy their clothes, and a lot of them are surprisingly within my price range!

DizzyBrunette3.comThe true blogspot I found and became obsessed with. I actually found the girl who writes this on twitter as she tweeted shesasecretshopper. It just proves, twitter really does get your blog out there! Anyway, I read this blog religiously and it was actually reading this that inspired me to start my own. One day I just thought: "Hey, I could do this!" I also very much enjoy Corrie's YouTube channel, she is so daft sometimes- I guess that's the reason for the name dizzy!

ZoellaI have followed Zoella's blog for a while and was always eager to read new posts when they came up on my dashboard. However, over the last few weeks I have been watching all of Zoella's youtube videos and I love them! Her hauls are fab and I am so inspired by her.

SprinkleofGlitterI found Louise through Zoella and I cannot explain how amazing they are together in youtube videos. I literally sit, alone in my room, crying with laughter at the Zoella and Louise's joint videos! I also love Louise individually, she is such a happy person and just has a really optimistic outlook. Definitely watch her videos for a cheer-me-up.

Victoria's-VintageI absolutely love this blog. The design and content is basically my dream blog- vintage, cute outfits, florals and so much more. I could scroll through every post ever written because it just interests me so much and I think out of all the blogs mentioned I aspire for my blog to be like this one most (except with elements of DizzyBrunette3 and Zoella).

MissMeghan Is actually my real life friend! We used to joke that we bought so much beauty products that we should start blogs and now we actually have. I would definitely recommend checking out her blog. She is so funny, has such a unique sense of style and is into a lot of the things I am (Soap & Glory)!

Well I think that's it! I love all of these amazing blogs and hope one day to be as successful as them. What are your favourite bloggers and youtubers?

Saturday, 28 April 2012

Recently I have been absolutely loving backpacks- they're fab for school, day trips and much more. I have always liked the comfort of backpacks but I've only started getting into them recently as every shop seems to be offering many styles. Sadly out of the 3 I've bought so far, 2 have broken. In general I don't think backpacks rip or break very easily I think its just a combination of Primark's 'iffy' quality and my huge pile of heavy books that get squeezed in everyday! So I'll start with ones I've bought:

This is my first backpack and its from Primark. It was the most gorgeous soft brown faux leather with the lovely floral lining you can see below. Sadly the strap on this broke after a few months of daily use. For £10 (or thereabouts) I don't think that was too bad. I would definitely buy this again if it was still available.

This is still available in Primark for £8. I wouldn't recommend this for school, uni or college as it's quite small in comparison to the others and this started to rip within a few weeks of purchase. I do however love the colours and it also comes in navy and orange.

This is the backpack I'm currently using. Its a really good size and its more of a traditional backpack rather than the cute modern interpretations above. This seems so sturdy and after a week or so of use it seems to be coping well with my heavy load! It doesn't have a compartment inside for my phone, though there is a zipped pocket on the front but I'm a bit paranoid and don't like to use those as I feel my stuff might get pinched! This also actually came with a charm on the front pocket zip but I thought it looked very cheap and ruined the bags look so I just took it off.

Thursday, 26 April 2012

Let me start off by apologizing for my neglect of the blogging scene lately- my exams are in full swing but thankfully I have two weeks to my next one so I can do a bit of posting yay :) Also, hello to my new followers! I can hardly believe I'm up to 69, I'm so proud and thankful for each one of you- ok enough of the cheese already.

So after seeing countless raves about the Real Techniques brushes by Samantha Chapman, I decided to buy the stippling brush as I am in need of a new foundation brush.

Claims: This brush boasts to be "the trade secret for creating airbrushed, high definition results with all types of makeup."

Brush: The "ultra plush taklon bristles" are super soft and the brush hasn't shed a single hair yet. It smooths foundation onto my skin gently. Also, the unusually thick handle (I think handle is the right word!) allows the brush to stand up right on a flat surface which I love as its a cute addition to my chest of drawers. I have also found that the brush doesn't swallow up foundation unlike my old one so I am actually using less which is fab.

Results: I have to say I am really impressed! The brush blends foundation in really well and using the buffing technique I can achieve a natural look with fair coverage. I definitely think it gives an airbrushed look and can be used to apply foundation, powder, blush and much more. Basically it is the perfect multitasking brush.

This has really made me want to buy more Real Techniques brushes, though I need to stop myself as I have a brand new set by Ruby Hammer and Millie Kendall called Scarlet & Crimson that I bought in the Boots January sale so I have to make use of them.

I'm off to watch Celebrity Juice- so excited as Caroline Flack is on it and I love love love her! Can't wait to see what she is wearing :)

Have you got any Real Techniques brushes? Which are your favourite?

PS- would anyone be interested in a JulzObsessions channel on YouTube? I'm considering the idea, though I'm not sure as I think my accent would stick out terribly :P

Tuesday, 17 April 2012

As you'll know if you read my gabble a lot you'll know that I am in love with the Kardashians! I have only got into it in the past month(ish) and I have already watched 6 seasons of kuwtk, 2 seasons of kktm , 2 seasons of kktny and 1 and about a half of 2 of k&l. To be honest, I literally scare myself sometimes with how overly obsessed I become with things (hence the name JulzObsessions).

So, to the post, one of the things I love most about those beautiful Kardashian ladies is their hair. Now, no matter if you love them or hate them, you have to admit they all have gorgeous hair. So, I have decided to channel this admiration/stalkerisation (newly invented word of the day yay) and try to grow my hair to aim for long beautiful Kardashian locks! I am particularly in love with Kim, Kendall and Kylie's hair though I realise Kim's is styled by professionals every day so I think Kendall's is a pretty realistic aim.

Right now, I think my hair is medium length. It's actually quite long at the back but I often get confused because have layers at the front so I think it's shorter than it is.

So I'm going to do a series of posts to record my progress on the way to Kardashian hair. I'm aiming for this time next year for the length to be down to my waist as my hair grows pretty fast.

Do you guys like the Kardashian girls hair? Do you have any tips for mine to grow faster?

Monday, 16 April 2012

Last post from Ediburgh- its a mini haul yay! I went there planning to get a few things from my wishlist and this is how I got on:

From Superdrug-

Bourjois Flower Perfection Shade 52- I was actually planning to get Bourjois Healthy Mix Foundation, but after trying this at the counter with help from an assistant (which there aren't usually in Superdrug, only high end counters so I was pretty impressed), I found that it was quite drying on my skin, which hadn't actually been mentioned on any of the reviews I had read. The girl recommended this for younger skin so I was pretty happy to get it as it was on the Bourjois 2 for £13.

Bourjois Blush Shade 34 Rose D'or- This is a really bright pink so a little goes a long way. There is also a cute little brush inside which is adapted to the shape of the pot.

MUA Limited Edition Duo Nail Polish- These are the colours of MUA polish that I wear most often and I was actually running out so I was glad to find them. And want to know the best part? They were 49p for the set- just when you thought MUA couldn't get any more affordable.

From Topshop-

Gold Ear Spike-I like the look of ear stretchers/spikes but there is no way I would stretch my ear as I find it gross so this is a little cheat-its an earring but you still get the nice spike. I also got the Tophshop magazine and a little make-up leaflet. The spike was £5 or £4.50 with student discount.

So I got a few bits and bobs but never broke the bank so I'm pretty happy with my little haul. Have you made any cute purchases lately?

Sunday, 15 April 2012

I've not done this type of post in a while so I thought I would tell you about one of my favourites at the moment which is w7 nail polish. I got a set of three for Christmas from TkMaxx (I think!) though I have seen them available online for £3.45 per bottle.

From left to right:

Metallic Mars

Metallic Venus

Metallic Mercury

Colour-They're all different shades of brown: metallic mercury is super-dense glitter, metallic venus has purple/blue tones and shimmer and metallic mars is an orangey brown with slight shimmer.

Consistency- My favourite- metallic mercury, has an amazing consistency. One coat and you're done. Metallic mars quite runny though and I think it would be better as an undercoat. Metallic venus has a good consistency too.

Brush- The brush works really well on my short nails and mostly the polish stays on my nail and doesn't 'leak' onto my finger.

Result- I love these polishes as they are gorgeous colours which I would have not considered buying myself. As mentioned, I am particularly impressed with the glitter one- you can see the results below.

Durability- As I've probably said in a previous post- I am terrible for biting my nail varnish off if I get the slightest chip. However, this stays at least a few days with no chipping even without a top coat so I resist the urge to bite it.

Rating- 10/10 for the metallic mercury, 9/10 for metallic venus and 6/10 for metallic mars.

Overall, I love these polishes and would highly recommend them. I am excited to try other shades of this brand. Have you tried w7 before? Did you like it?

How are we all? I've hardly posted at all this week because I'm in full study mode for my exams which start in 9 days- arghh! So this is me just getting around to post about my trip to Edinburgh last weekend.

I was actually at a car-boot sale and I was on the fifth stall and a bright pink jar caught my eye. Of course I marched right over and yes, it was the Soap & Glory Yum at Heart Christmas set- brand new! The lady said she had also got the Big Splendour for Christmas (jealous!) so didn't want this set too. She said it was £5 and it had originally retailed for £16 so I got it yay!

The tin is a gorgeous cookie jar and inside is a S&G apron, The Breakfast Scrub (RRP £9) and Hand Food (RRP £5). Not too shabby a deal eh?

So I was extremely happy with that and later I was in a charity shop. Usually my mum drags me in and I can't stand them but guess what I spotted?!

This make up bag must be from the very early days of Soap & Glory as the colours are completely different from what they are now. I was so shocked I thought "I have to post about this!". What do you think of it? Have you ever seen anything like it?

So that's it- Edinburgh's dose of Soap & Glory. I found it really interesting finding my favourite brand in such unlikely places and its made me want to go to car-boot sales every weekend to see if I can find any more luckies!

Thursday, 12 April 2012

So this weekend I was in Edinburgh and thought I'd share my trip with you all by the instagrams I have taken! Stay tuned for more posts Edinburgh themed including a Soap and Glory treat and my shopping haul!

Starbucks for the journey yum

Flowers in the hotel lobby

Edinburgh Castle

My amazing desert

Flamingo in the zoo!

Sadly we couldn't see the actual pandas so this is the next best thing

This guy is amazing

Me- realised after 1 and a half years that my phone has a camera on the front :o

Easter treats from my very creative mum!

Victorian dress with a gorgeous lace collar- I would actually wear this

Monday, 9 April 2012

I am actually pre-writing this post and scheduling it as I am off to Edinburgh at the weekend woo! No doubt I'll have a haul from there even though I'm trying to save, maybe I'll even treat myself to a Real Techniques make-up brush just to see what all the fuss is about?

So I've been wanting a pair of striped jeans for a while now and whilst out shopping on Saturday I found my perfect pair! I actually originally was looking for a pair of black and white stripes, but I found this grey pair and I love them.

From: Internacionale

Price: £16.99 with Student Discount

Fit: Amazing- I don't need a belt for once

Quality: So far so good, they feel like they'll last well

Why I love them: The vertical stripes are super flattering and really elongate the leg

Trend Spotter: A definite key piece for spring/summer

Rating: 10/10

And my OOTD:

I paired these jeans with a plain white vest top (don't want to overdo it with another attention grabbing piece on top), a grey hoodie and a grey scarf. How coordinated am I?!

Sunday, 8 April 2012

Welcome to the third instalment of Saturday/Sunday shopping! Today's shop is Miss Selfridge and I decided to put it together after seeing the most amazing dress ever in store and online and noticing that they now have a 'Vintage Style' section on their website. It is full of chiffon blouses, peter pan collars, neutral colours and cute detailing. They should really just name the section Julianne Style and have done with it!

I always absolutely love the styles in Miss Selfridge, though I actually have very few items from there because I can't justify spending that much on clothes till I'm a working lady! But oh well, I can dream :)

So here are my favourite pieces from their Vintage Style:

I think I can hear a choir of angels in the distance. This dress is possibly the most beautiful thing I've ever seen. And the shoes. How pretty is this ensemble? Sadly, the dress is sold out online is almost every size, but I think is still available in store, and it also comes with a mint skirt which is equally as lovely.

This collection is so cute and pretty. I love the blouse it is so up my street and would fit into my wardrobe perfectly. Also, I'm really loving the shoes! They're really understated yet something about them is so classic and chic. I think they're really high end looking too.

All of these pieces are available (to view at least, some sizes may be sold out) online here and in store.

I think it's fair to say I am crazy about this collection and would literally buy the whole lot if I could. Its like when your having one of those amazing dreams about a shop that stocks everything that YOU love and you're like 'Hm, must remember to go there later' :)

So yes, I need to drag myself away or I could go on and on about my love for this style forever! Bottom line: Miss Selfridge have a great Vintage Inspired Collection right now that you should definetely check out.

Have a good night!

This was meant to post yesterday but the scheduling didn't work for some reason :S Aw well here it is, a bit late :) Happy Easter! xx

Thursday, 5 April 2012

Hi Everyone!Hope you're all good! My exams are approaching which means I'm trying to study as much as possible which is why there have been such a lack of posts. I just need to drag myself away from Kardashians and I'm sorted!Today I'm going to do my first tutorial woo! This is an everyday/ I can't be bothered styling my hair bun. I really like this as its simple but really nice. Also, I seen a lot of the models in ELLE with messy buns so I think its a really popular style right now.

1. Start with your regular hair. This style pretty much works on any hair. My hair is naturally straight so I just work with that but I think it's better to curl beforehand for added texture. 2. Backcomb your hair for volume.3. Backcombed hair. Not overdone.4. Gather your hair as if you were putting it in a high ponytail.5. Twist.6. Continue twisting until the hair twists round on itself.7. A knot-bun is created. Tie it in place with a bobble.8. Begin pulling apart the twisted bun. You should find that because it is twisted there are layers below layers so pull them too.9. Fix any fallen pieces into place with kirbies. 10. To be extra secure I place four kirbies around the bun.11 & 12. Finished result :)So that's it! Hoped you liked my first tutorial, comment below if you would like to see more!